Luckily, the whole area was forecast to be bathed in Spring sun so we firmed up the plans, much to the annoyance of Mikey who blatantly did not want to go. However, there was no question of him staying at home as I knew we would be back late and I just wouldn't enjoy the day if I kept thinking about him at home alone, despite my parents being two minutes away.
So, with a grumpy Mikey and a sleepy Sophie in the back of my little Audi we set off at just after 8am. We called into McDonald's first to appease the children with breakfast and then I filled up with diesel. Keith navigated me brilliantly even though we had Gladys with us as well. The traffic at first was very light, especially on the M6, but as we joined the A5 it became heavier as people made for the coast.
Almost as soon as we were into Wales, the scenery became stunning. Keith took me on a very narrow road right through the Snowdonia National Park and the mountainous landscape took our breath away. There were sheep everywhere and it delighted the children when they were grazing by the side of the road and then skittered away as the car approached!
We arrived at Portmeirion at lunchtime, four hours after we set off so it was a fair journey! The weather had held and the whole area was bathed in beautiful sunshine. Portmeirion was designed and built by the architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village and is truly beautiful. Of course, it is also famous for the setting of "The Prisoner" which was filmed in the 1960s, starring Patrick McGoohan.
Luckily the place wasn't crowded so we wandered around and then had lunch in a small cafe which specialised in ice-cream much to the children's delight! It really did feel like we were on holiday in Italy and it was strange to think we were actually in North Wales!
After lunch we walked down to the beach and the children attempted to go into the sea but it was freezing and the water looked quite deep. The views over the Traeth Bach estuary were stunning and I could have sat and gazed at the scenery all afternoon.
There was beauty everywhere you looked and it was a photographer's dream! Looking back at the village it really did resemble an Italian village perched on an outcrop overlooking the sea...
We wandered along the beach and we were so glad the tide was out as we could really appreciate the beauty of the estuary.
The sand was very hard and littered with little shells and seaweed. We walked around the headland and another vista opened up before us, with rocky outcrops, little pools of water and flaming yellow gorse bushes.
We had great fun clambering over the rocks and looking for crabs and then we made our way up to the woodland walk which led back down to the village. There were huge bushes of what looked like rhododendrons everywhere and the flowers were gorgeous...
It was very peaceful and every now and again we'd glimpse those gorgeous views through the trees - it's a stunning place to visit on a sunny day and I was so glad we'd made the journey. Back at the village we sat in the sun in the main square which had a fountain and pool and just relaxed. It really did feel like we were abroad!
While we'd been at Portmeirion, we'd kept hearing loud booming noises and we had no idea what the sound was. On our way out, we asked one of the staff at the admissions desk but he didn't know either, which was a bit alarming! I was reluctant to leave (there are self-catering cottages available and I would love to come back to explore the whole area) but the time was getting on and I wanted to drive along the coast through Harlech, where I'd visited on a school visit when I was about ten. I remembered the gorgeous coastline and the imposing castle standing looking out to the sea.
Well, my memories must have been a little out, as Harlech castle was surrounded by houses and was a fair way from the sea! It just goes to show that memory can't be relied on, although it was about 35 years ago!
We followed the coast road through Harlech and then the village of Llanbedr where I stayed in a Youth Hostel - oh, what a great time we had then! The village was a lot bigger than I remembered and we didn't find the Youth Hostel, but I really would like to go back one day and explore a bit more, preferably without two grumpy children!
Before we reached Barmouth we turned off the main road and drove to the beach, and what a beach it was! Wide, sandy and miles long, it was perfect for sunbathing and building sandcastles (or digging holes, which is what my two did!).
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The booming sounds we'd been hearing all afternoon were still there and it was quite creepy as the noise seemed to be coming from the sea itself. We asked a woman strolling along the beach with her son if she knew, but she was as ignorant as we were so we really did start to feel alarmed! We also heard a man telling his wife that he'd Google the noise when they got home so it was a real mystery!
Again, we reluctantly left the beautiful beach and Keith plotted our route home. The plan was to stop after about two hours for a pub meal and I'd hoped we wouldn't be too far from home. However, the traffic had other ideas! Before half an hour had passed we'd slowed down because of roadworks, which held us up for nearly an hour. We then found the road we wanted was closed so we were forced to make a long diversion. On the way, Keith spotted a tiny little road snaking up into the hills so onto it we went and that was certainly an adventure as we wound right up through fields of sheep and dry stone walls. The scenery was spectacular with views for miles and miles. The kids wondered where on earth we were taking them but it did mean that we got back onto the road we originally wanted, despite the bumpy ride!
As it was now past 7pm and we'd been driving for three hours and were still in Wales (!) we decided to stop for a bite to eat. I stopped the car and we called up the AA pub guide app on my phone which recommended a pub called The Old Hand and Diamond in Coedway, near Shrewsbury. We entered the postcode into Gladys who took us there by a very narrow winding route, through yet more fields of sheep!
The pub was as good as we'd hoped and we had a great meal. Keith and I chose lamb (what else in Wales?) while Sophie had chicken and Mikey had lasagne. I was so glad I'd downloaded the AA guide as we would never have found it on our own and it would have meant coming off the busy A5 and trying to find something which has always proved difficult in the past!
We had a much faster drive after our stop and pulled onto the drive at 10.30pm. It had been a very long day, but I enjoyed every minute!
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